The Torturous Time Warp
by csifreak1234
Summary: After a hostage situation gone horribly wrong one of their own is kidnapped, and the CSIs must hurry to locate them. But with images from the past used against them, will the team be in time, or will one of them end up in the morgue.
1. Chapter 1: Target Acquired

"Shhh," Horatio Cain put his finger to his lips, signalling for silence. Gun in hand, his muscles tense, the LT prepared to enter enemy territory. With only minutes until his time expired, and the captives, he knew he had to act swiftly and efficiently.

_Let's Go_ he thought to himself.

Signalling silently to Calleigh Duquesne that they would enter in 3 seconds, he began to count down on his fingers.

3...2...1

"Miami Dade PD!" they cried as they whipped around the corner and through the doorway. Surprising two armed men, they took them down, each with only one shot. They continued to move swiftly through the room and out the other side. The hallway was empty, but for the two CSIs and their backup SWAT team.

They hurried down the hallway, clearing each door they passed before continuing on. Even though they had found nothing yet, they remained tense, anticipating danger around every turn. When they reached the last door, they paused, knowing that this was the door they were looking for. This had to be where the captives were being held.

Horatio wiped the sweat from his brow, preparing for the moment they had been waiting for. He made eye contact with Calleigh and gave a slight nod of his head, directing it at all who were there.

_This is it,_ he thought as they burst through the door and saw what awaited them. Not only were the captives not there, but the enemy had left two of their own bound together and gagged, struggling in vain to escape. They had been fooled!

With a nod from her LT, Calleigh cautiously moved toward the bound pair, checking them for weapons, before untying them. "Where are they?" the feisty blonde asked with a no nonsense tone to her voice.

"Where are who?" the smaller of the pair asked innocently as he rubbed his wrists. "I have no idea who you're talking about."

"You're one of them, of course you know who I'm talking about," she replied, beginning to lose her patience.

"If we were one of them," the other one commented, as he stopped rubbing his wrists, the feeling slowly coming back. He held up the ropes still loosely wrapped around him, "They wouldn't have tied us up, now would they?" He asked this question with a hint of mockery, but before Calleigh could reply, one of the SWAT officials called her from the hall.

"Lt. Caine, Ms. Duquesne, I think you need to see this."

Without another word to the two captives, she left the room, giving them a glare to show that it wasn't over between the three of them. She still had some questions she needed to ask. But her train of thought was interrupted when she saw what the official had to show her.

On the ceiling, just above her reach, there was a large square cut into the drywall. Even in the dim lighting, the southerner could tell that it was a door leading into an attic. _How did I miss this_ she scolded herself. _It's in plain view, And they call me a CSI._

Still mentally scolding herself, she watched as her LT reached up and slid his fingers through the small loop of a handle. Once again, counting down from three he paused before pulling slightly on the loop. As the trapdoor collapsed he jumped slightly backwards, the ladder nearly connecting with his knee. Then he began to climb.

His ascent took only seconds, and he was soon in the attic space. Spinning around fast, but not so fast that he could miss any dangers lurking in the darkness, Horatio took in his surroundings. He was in a small space, hardly big enough to use for anything but storage, and that was exactly what it was used for. There were boxes stacked everywhere and dust coating everything. But the LT wasn't looking at the boxes. He was looking at the disturbance in the dust.

Following the trail in the dust, he only had to swerve around a box before he gained sight of his target. The dark hooded figure was hunched over a limp captive, carefully tying their hands to the post with intricate knots. The other hostage was already secured in place. Horatio aimed his gun, knowing exactly what he had to do. He fired his gun into the back of his target.

Horatio Caine fired his gun into the back of Natalia Boa Vista.


	2. Chapter 2: Tough Luck

**I hope everyone liked the first chapter. Thanx to everyone who read it, especially csimiamifreak92310 and merrymatryoshka for being my very first reviewers ever! I hope you will enjoy the next chapter, and remember, reviews are greatly appreciated.**

Previously on CSI Miami

_He fired his gun into the back of his target._

_Horatio Caine fired his gun into the back of Natalia Boa Vista._

"Clear!" the LT called, before he began to take of his gear. Natalia pushed against the floor and slowly regained her footing.

Having been surprised by her LT, she hadn't been able to prepare herself for the blow, resulting in her being knocked right off her feet."Nice shot!"

Horatio gave her a little nod before he stepped forwards and began to untie the petite DNA analyst, Maxine Valera, from the pole. "Hey, Horatio," she spoke drowsily, slurring her words a little. "Am I allowed to go back to bed now?"

Valera had been woken up from a deep sleep, only so that she could participate in the mock hostage situation. Because of her current state of mind, sleepy and out of it, it was decided that she could play one of the hostages. So far though, she hadn't gotten much sleep.

_Last night was so much fun,_ she thought as she fought her heavy eyelids. _I may be tired, but my date with John was worth it._

Natalia swung her body through the hole and dropped, landing like a cat. Passing Eric as he exited the room, she walked towards Ryan. "Hey Nat," he said in a greeting, still rubbing his wrists. "Were you in the army or something, because you tie really tight knots?"

Holding back a laugh she replied, "Sorry about that. I didn't mean for it to be so tight." Natalia couldn't help but gaze into Ryan's adoring hazel eyes. His gaze flickered towards the doorway, making sure no one was there, before he leaned in and gave her a small peck on the cheek.

"If it was anybody but you I would mind, but it wasn't," Ryan said, the gentleness obvious in his tone. He pulled Natalia closer towards him but she resisted.

"Ryan, no. At least not here where everyone can see us," she whispered quietly. Looking around, she made sure that no one had seen Ryan's sudden outburst of emotion. Once she was positive no one had seen, she turned back towards Ryan and continued on. "We can't tell everyone about us. You know what would happen if anyone found out, especially if it was Stetlar..."

"What about Stetlar?"

Both Ryan and Natalia jumped at the sudden voice from the doorway.

"Uuuh... I was just saying how if Stetlar...um...was in charge of the lab then..." Ryan started, not knowing what else to say.

"...we never would have been able to do this practice run." Thinking quickly, Natalia finished his sentence for him.

Eric looked curiously at the two of them before it dawned on him. "Ohh, I see. Ya, all right, I'll buy that for now." He shot them a knowing look before continuing. "Anyways, I came in to tell you that we are leaving. We're going back to the lab to review our actions today." With one last mocking glance at Ryan, he left the room.

Awkwardness hung over the room like a cloud.

"Well," Natalia began, taking a hesitant step towards the door. "We should probably go, ya"

"Ya, right," he followed her out the door, cursing himself for not being smoother.


	3. Chapter 3: Sash

**Thanx again to my awesome readers. Especially:**

**Emmilyyx5o**

**THelocker**

**Wolvista**

**Merrymatryoshka**

**And csimiamifreak92310**

**For reviewing. **

"I'm sure you all know by now, that your trial run was a complete success," Rick said, his voice thick with bitterness. "The mock suspects were apprehended quickly and efficiently. However, it is now time for you to get back to work. Horatio, There has been a new lead on the kidnapping case last week. It takes top priority," Without a second glance at the CSIs, Rick Stetlar was gone from the room.

"Is that it?" Ryan asked after a moment of silence. "We just go back to work?"

Smirking at Ryan, Eric commented, "I guess you were right. If Stetlar were in charge, we never would have done this practice run. Hey Natalia!" Natalia didn't respond, she just looked at the ground and awkwardly took a step away from Ryan. Ryan just glared, wishing he could wipe that smirk right off Eric's face.

Realizing what was happening, Calleigh intervened. "I don't like it any more than you do, but we really should be getting back to work."

"Calleigh's right, we should get back to work," Horatio commented. "Eric, you take Ryan and go check out the new lead. Natalia, you can come with me to examine the old evidence, see if there is anything we've missed. Calleigh, you go to the crime scene and see if we missed anything there."

The CSIs dispersed, Eric still grinning, Ryan still glaring.

"So, what do we have so far," Natalia asked, as she hadn't been one of the original CSIs on the case.

"Two missing, one dead. Mr. and Mrs. Sash and their son were reported missing when Mrs. Sash's brother came over for dinner, only to find no one home and signs of a struggle. Tipped over chairs, a broken T.V., and a frying pan still full of stir-fry on the floor. Blood on the edge of a broken beer bottle lead us to a man named Borislav Sklavansky, a member of the Russian Mob. We went to the factory he worked at and found a body in the dumpster outside the place. It was later identified as Nathaniel Sash, the son. Sklavansky was found and arrested.

"We knew he wasn't smart enough to pull this whole thing off by himself, though. It was assumed that he was working for Sarnoff. This was confirmed when, shortly after we questioned him about The Mob leader, he killed himself in the holding cell by slitting his own wrists with his teeth. When no more evidence was found, the case was dropped, even though two of the Sash's are still missing," The LT sounder angry at his last statement. Everyone who knows LT Caine, knows that when he is unable to help people because of the system telling him to move on, they would not want to be the system.

Ryan and Eric walked in a stony silence all the way to the AV lab, unaware of how the new evidence would effect the case, and one of the CSIs.

**Sorry about the short chapter. I'm right now fighting a severe case of writers block. **

**Hopefully next chapter will pick up the pace a bit. Pls review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Here We Go Again

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own CSI Miami, nor do I make money off this. If I did, you wouldn't be reading this, you would be watching this.

**Sorry about the long wait. On top of my WB I've had 2 major tests and 2 major projects all due yesterday, so I haven't had time to even think about anything but school. To make up for it, I am going to write 3 really long chapters and post them all by Sunday night.**

**I forgot to mention, this story takes place right at the very end of season 7 within the last couple of episodes. Before Ivan Sarnoff dies. I have also created a new Character. He works in the AV lab and his name is John Doe. I know, it's a cheezy name, but just bear with me here. If you look on my profile there will be a short biography on him that explains everything.**

**Thanx again to all my wonderful readers, especially:**

**Emmilyyx5o**

**THelocker**

**Wolvista**

**Merrymatryoshka**

**csimiamifreak92310**

**Gooniegirl3333**

**And Forensic Kitteh**

**For being my wonderful reviewers! I hope you guys all like this chapter!**

"Hello CSIs. Found any leads on the Sash case? No? Maybe this will help..." came a sinister voice from the computer.

"Whoa! Is this guy serious?" Ryan said, horrified by the image before him.

"I don't know, but this looks real to me," Eric was also looking at the screen with a shocked expression on his face. "John, when did this come in?"

Not meeting the CSIs eyes, he replied sheepishly, "3 days ago."

"And why are we just getting this now? This could destroy half of Miami, if not all of it!" Ryan cried, exasperated at the younger mans screw up.

John stared at the floor and mumbled a response, "I was busy with other cases."

"I think this is a little more important than other cases right now. Don't you," Eric spoke, the annoyance obvious in his tone. For on the screen in front of him were Mr. and Mrs. Sash bound and gagged, surrounded by a thousand sticks of Dynamite, all set to Detonate.

Calleigh walked through the door of the two story summer home. As a CSI, she was trained to notice detail, and that was the first thing she did. She took stock of her surroundings, taking in every little detail. The thin layer of dust on the granite countertops. The same old furniture that had obviously seen better days. She even noticed how the light refracted through the crystal chandelier and onto the wall as a small rainbow. But what she didn't see was a change. Apart from the dust, the house looked exactly as it had a week ago.

Sighing, the Blonde CSI set down her kit and undid the latch. Pulling out a pair of white rubber gloves, she snapped them in place and began her search. She looked high and low, skimming her flashlight over every surface and every crack. She dusted each doorknob for fingerprints, but was unsuccessful. She sprayed every surface with luminal and shone the UV light. Nothing glowed. Not a single spot.

Flipping the lights back on, she said to herself, "Calleigh, Calleigh, Calleigh. There has to be something you're missing, and you're not leaving here until you find it." Jumping slightly when she heard a songbird, the southerner looked around nervously, embarrassed at the thought of being caught talking to herself. She shook her head, clearing her thoughts of anything but the case. Taking one last good look around, the CSI began walking towards the stairs when something caught her eye.

Her head swivelled towards a crooked picture frame, her eyes instantly focusing on the small sliver of metal visible below it. Stepping around a tipped over chair, Calleigh walked slowly towards the large picture of a pair of otters sitting along a riverbank. _They look so peaceful,_ she thought as she took it off the wall. Behind it was something she never expected to see. Normally, hidden behind a picture on the wall is a safe. But no, what Calleigh found behind that picture was much worse.

"What do we have so far?" Natalia asked, slowly sifting through the bags of evidence.

Hortio's only reply was a small grunt followed by a very short list. "The broken beer bottle with blood that led us to Sklavansky, the Sash boy's personal effects, and a swab of blood. The blood wasn't a match to any of the Sash's and there was no match on CODIS."

"So basically we have nothing?" Natalia asked.

"Absolutely Nothing"

Ryan stared at the screen searching for anything that might lead them to what was looking like the bomb of the century.

"There!" he said as he pointed at the screen. "That piece of paper by Mr. Sash's foot. Enlarge the image."

With a shaky hand, John highlighted the image and enlarged it, watching as the pixels realigned themselves and filled in the empty spaces. _1255 Sherdon Ave_. Eric had barely read the address and he was out the door. Sprinting past the doorway of the layout room, he called out to Horatio and Natalia, "I know where they are."

Without a moment's hesitation, the two CSIs were out the door and after Eric. They piled into to the silver Hummer and were off. To where, they didn't yet know.


	5. Chapter 5: Surprise!

**Here's the second chapter in 3 days. I'll post another one before midnight. That is, midnight my time, so in about 6-8 hours. Hope you like it! Once again, thanx to:**

**Emmilyyx5o**

**THelocker**

**Wolvista**

**Merrymatryoshka**

**csimiamifreak92310**

**Gooniegirl3333**

**And Forensic Kitteh**

**For being the most dedicated reviewers a writer could ask for! Without further delay, here's the next chapter.**

Silence...

It was so silent that Calleigh could hear the pin drop. Instantly, a swarm of thoughts entered her mind.

_Should I Run?_

_Should I Hide?_

_Should I Scream?_

With only a split second to choose, she did all three. Diving behind the sofa, she let a small scream escape her lips. The force of the explosion knocked her backwards into a wall, her head collided with the floor. Too dazed to move, Calleigh could only watch the room in front of her go up in smoke.

Shaking herself a little, Calleigh looked around for an escape from the flames. Fire was everywhere, blocking her escape route. The only way out was up the stairs.

The CSI slowly pulled herself to her knees and began to crawl. The room was spinning around her but she didn't stop. Her lungs burned from inhaling the smoke, but she pushed onwards.

Making it to the stairs, she began to climb. The southerner was soon effulged in smoke. Then she began to cough.

The smoke filled her lungs and airway, making it hard to breath. Her head was pounding, her entire body sore.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, Calleigh collapsed onto her side. Felling as though she was about to cough up a lung, she thought to herself, _I'm going to die in here._

It was that single thought that spurred her onwards. _I can't die now! What about the people I'd be leaving behind. Ryan, Natalia, Horatio... and Eric._ Knowing now that she could never stop fighting, if only for her family, Calleigh began to crawl towards the Master Bedroom.

The door was open and smoke was pouring in. Slowly shuffling in, the determined CSI moved towards the window. It was her only chance of escaping. Pushing herself to her knees was hard, but she knew she had to do it. Reaching up and opening the window was even harder, but the rush of fresh air that greeted her was worth it.

Readying herself, she focused all of her strength into the once simple task. Calleigh stood up. Her muscles burned, her head spun, but she stood up enough that she could sit on the window sill. Black spots began to appear on the edge of her vision. Climbing down onto the roof below her, she crawled to the edge.

Knowing she was fading fast, she pulled out her cell and dialled three numbers.

_911, what's your emergency? _A polite voice said from the other end.

"Help me," were the only words Calleigh Duquesne could utter before the blackness took over.

Eric knew that time was of the essence. If they didn't get there in time, a bomb would go off that could blow up half of Miami. Speeding along, dodging in and out of cars, the Hummer moved quickly towards their destination.

The Hummer pulled into the driveway of a White house with orange trim. It looked quiet enough, but the CSIs took no chances. Drawing her gun out of its holster, Natalia moved slowly towards the door. Mounting the steps to the porch, she looked to Horatio before knocking on the door.

"Miami Dade PD, Open up!" she called into the seemingly empty house. When no response came, she reached down for the doorknob. The door was unlocked. They team stepped into the empty hallway and looked around.

The house was empty, and not only people were missing. There was no furniture and the walls and ceiling were painted a dull grey. There was no flooring, only wood. The house looked completely and utterly deserted.

Still cautious, they walked to the basement door. Slowly opening it, they looked down on a horrific scene. They knew that they were in the right house.

**Ohhh! Whats gonna happen to Calleigh, and what did the rest of the team find? These questions will be answered next time!**

**I also have to say, merrymatryoshka, a dedicated reviewer, is very good at guessing. Lets all give her a round of applause.**


	6. Chapter 6: Danger

**Hello dear readers! Here is my second chapter today. It`s a little later than I hoped, but it`s still Sunday my time. **

Time. Time is a funny thing. When you hate what you`re doing, it moves too slowly. When you`re having a good time, it moves too quickly. And when you need as much time as possible, it moves even faster.

This was the case as the three CSIs looked onto the scene before them. The clock quickly counting down from 1 minute. Mr. and Mrs. Sash, eyes wise with terror, bound to a chair. And then there was the Dynamite, even more terrifying up close.

Horatio was in action in an instant. "Natalia," he cried. "Untie them!" She rushed forward and began to work at the knots. Meanwhile, Horatio ran to the clock and inspected it. The knowledge he gained from his years in the bomb squad kicked in. Looking at the bomb he noted the red and blue wires attached to both the detonator and the dynamite.

"H, their too tight! I can`t undo them," Natalia called, the panic in her voice was clear.

Horatio knew he had to do something soon. The clock was down to 10 seconds. He looked at the two wires and chose one to pull.

3...2...1

The LT pulled the red wire with no time to spare. The clock stopped with only one second left. Horatio let out the air that he had been holding in his chest. Relaxing from his tense posture, he began moving towards Natalia to help her undo the knots.

BANG! BANG!

The gunshots rang out and the bullets rang true. Horatio froze and looked at the red stain growing on Mr. Sash`s chest. Right where his heart was. Natalia cried out and took a step backwards.

Eric, who had been standing at the door feeling useless, rushed forwards to the Sash`s. He placed his two fingers on Mr. Sash`s neck and looked for a pulse. He found none. He moved onto Mrs. Sash. Felling her neck he yelled, "H, she`s alive!" He placed his hands on her chest and pushed. He could feel her blood seeping through his fingers, soaking onto his sleeve. He didn`t care, the only thing that mattered right now was saving the woman`s life.

He was so focused on the task at hand, that he didn`t notice the quiet hiss of gas entering the room.

Maxine looked up from her work as Ryan walked in.

"Hey Ryan, what can I do for you?" she asked.

"Have you seen Calleigh?" he questioned

"No, why," she replied, a little confused.

"She isn't answering her phone and I thought she may have brought some evidence to you."

Now worried, Valera pulled out her cell and dialled Calleigh's number. The phone rang 4 times before going to the answering machine. _You've reached Calleigh Duquesne, CSI with the Miami Dade Police dep..._ Maxine closed her phone.

"She didn't pick up for me either," Valera stated, beginning to worry about her friend. "Maybe we should call Horatio."

Ryan pulled out his phone and made the call. He looked at Maxine and said what she had hoped not to hear. "He's not answering either."

**Now I'm just evil! Lol reviews will help me write faster! Hint hint**


	7. Chapter 7: Shock

**I know, I'm horrible. I like dropped off the face of the earth for almost 2 months. Really sorry about that, won't happen again! I hope I haven't lost all of my dear readers because of my really long bout of writers block. For some reason, this chapter was extremely hard for me to write. Anyways, thanx again to everyone who has reviewed, the list has become so long that it takes up almost a whole page on WORD. Anywho, onto the story:**

Darkness. That was all Eric knew. It was as if he was floating in nothingness. None of his senses worked. It seemed as though someone had flipped off the switch on his life.

His first sensation was pain. His entire body ached, his head throbbed.

Slowly his hearing came back. The pounding in his ears blocked out most sound. The only sound he could distinguish from the insistent drum beat was a loud blaring noise that only made his headache worse.

As Eric sat in that dazed state, he wondered how long he'd been out. It seemed like only a minute ago that Horatio had been trying to save Mrs. Sash. _Mrs. Sash_ he thought, _I wonder if she made it._

All at once his senses came back. The sharp smell of antiseptic made his eyes flutter.

"Hello there sleepyhead," a soft voice said. "Welcome back." It sounded as though he was below 20 feet of water and the voice was on the surface. Opening his eyes slowly, the CSI saw nothing but an orange smudge with a white background. It took a minute for his vision to clear, and when it did, he wasn't happy about what he saw.

Eric was in an ambulance. He was lying on a gurney and staring up at the face of a paramedic. "Where's H?" he whispered, still unable to speak properly. Even in his current state of mind, Eric was still worried about his team. "Nat?"

The look on the paramedics face told Eric everything. Something bad had happened and he was about to hear about it. "The Red head is in the ambulance behind us. He's gonna be ok," The medic paused slightly before slowly continuing. "The woman you were with… she was barely breathing when we got there. We tried to stabilize her, but we were too late."

Eric tried to sit up, but a wave of nausea hit him and he had to lie back down. _No! She can't be dead, she just can't,_ but even as he thought it, Eric knew it wasn't true. Natalia was dead, and he could do nothing to help her.

The Hummer flew down the highway, reaching speeds so fast the other cars on the road barely had time to move out of the way. Ryan focused all his thoughts on the road. Driving towards Dade Memorial he didn't even notice when Valera cried out from the seat next to him. "Ryan! Slow down!"

Looking towards the driver seat, Valera saw Ryan's expression and knew her efforts were of no use. Since they had received a text telling them one of their own was in the hospital, Ryan had focused on nothing but getting to the hospital. All it had said was that the person was female. And Valera knew without a doubt that Ryan would do anything for it not to be Natalia.

Alexx Woods stared at her assistant in shock. The words the nurse had just said skimmed right over the top of her head. All but a few, _A CSI from the Miami Dade Crime Lab. _Hearing those words, her heart skipped a beat. _No, _she thought. _Not one of my babies!_ The fierce motherly love she felt for all of the CSI's almost overwhelmed her.

Although it had been a few months since she had left her post as ME, she was still part of the family. The CSIs were as much her family as Jamie and Bryan.

Shaking her head slightly, Alexx snapped back into reality. Slowly, her footsteps heavy with worry, the caring doctor moved towards the ER.

Rushing outside, Alexx reached the Ambulance just as it stopped. Pushing the doors open from the inside, a paramedic jumped out of the vehicle and grabbed the end of the gurney. With him pulling and another medic pushing, it was only a matter of seconds before the gurney was out of the ambulance and speeding towards the hospital.

Alexx almost gasped in shock. Her babies long blonde hair was fanned out across the pillow, her skin a sickly grey. As an ER doctor, previously a ME, Alexx had seen worse things. Bloated corpses, decomp so bad even the victims own mother couldn't recognise them. But even after all that, her stomach still turned at the sight of her baby.

The medic was spouting off Calleigh's BP, Respiratory rate, and everything else the ER Doctor would need to know. But Alexx wasn't listening. She knew she should have been, but the only thing running through her head was, _Not again_. She could still remember the shock of seeing Calleigh in a coma, hooked up to a respirator. _Not again,_ she thought. _I won't let my baby go through that twice._

Ryan and Valera rushed into the ER at top speed. Storming up to one of the nurses, Ryan almost shouted, "Where is she?" The only thing that stopped him from doing that, was the knowledge that if people thought he was crazy he would never get answers. Instead, he quietly asked the nurse where he could find his friend who had just come in an ambulance.

"I'm sorry," said the nurse, "but you'll have to wait to see your friend. I can show you to the waiting room if you'd like..." the nurse trailed off as Ryan flashed his badge. Her eyes widened and she slowly turned to lead him to the back of the ER. Ryan followed. They walked through the doors and Ryan's heart jumped. Alexx flew by him with Calleigh in tow. His gaze followed her until she turned the corner. Valera stood, shocked, beside him. Ryan was shocked too, but in a guilty sort of way, he was glad it was Calleigh not Natalia.

**OOOHHH! Is Natalia really dead? How's Ryan gonna react when he finds out? These questions will be answered next chapter. And this time, I promise not to wait two months before updating.**


	8. Chapter 8: Uh Oh!

**See look. It took me less than 24 hours! I didn't drop off the face of the earth for two months again. I still feel really bad about that by the way. Anways, on with the story.**

"You were supposed to bring her alive!"

"She is alive, she's just... sleeping"

"She's been 'asleep' for over an hour now! When is she going to wake up? Oh that's right. You don't know because you're too stupid to know anything."

"Owww! What'd ya slap me for? I didn' do nothin' wrong"

"Well ya didn't do nothin' right either!"

"Maybe she's awake now?"

"You'd better hope she is, or I'll kick your sorry ass into the middle of next week"

Footsteps came towards her and she tried to relax and look asleep.

"You awake yet, you stupid slut?" The man shook her roughly and she tried to stay limp. Then his palm made contact with her face. Her ears started ringing and she couldn't help but pull her hand up to her cheek. "Oh look, sleepin' beauty's awake."

"Wakey, wakey!" the other man said in a mocking tone. "Wake up so we can have some fun," When she didn't respond he kicked her in the stomach.

Natalia cried out in pain and curled into a ball. Tears sprung into her eyes. He kicked her again, this time in the back. Natalia let out a whimper and her mind flashed back to when she was married to Nick. The man continued to kick her, blow after blow, until she could no longer feel her back. She made herself think of happy thoughts, of her team, of Ryan. Natalia knew that the only thing she could do was wait it out, until the blows no longer hurt, until the man stopped.

After what seemed like forever, the other man cut in. "Stop. We don't want to kill her, yet," The vicious onslaught stopped, but Natalia stayed curled up. For all she knew this was a trick and the man was about to begin again. "Get up," the man ordered, but Natalia ignored him. "I said, get up. Don't make me say it again."

Natalia opened her eyes just enough to see the face of her attacker. The man was tall, probably in his late 50's early 60's. His head was starting to bald and his skin was starting to wrinkle. But what caught Natalia's attention was the.45 he had pointed at her head.

Alexx sat at Calleigh's bedside. "Honey, what did you do to yourself?" She reached down and brushed a stray lock of hair from her cheek.

The sound of the respirator pulling air in and out of Calleigh's lungs was almost soothing, but Alexx was anything but calm. Though she was stable, Calleigh was in a coma and wasn't breathing on her own. She wasn't in any immediate danger, but what worried her most? Neither Horatio nor Eric had been to see her.

**It was a short chapter, but at least it answered a few questions. Calleigh's not exactly allright, but she's in good hands. Then there's Natalia. She's not dead, but where she is can't be much better. And Eric and Horatio still think she's dead. I'd like to say reviews help me write faster, but look where that got us last time. But please do still review. I love to hear feedback from fellow writers and readers.**


	9. Chapter 9: Problem

Chapter 9:

**Ok, I'm really bad at this. Once again, sorry about the long wait. If you haven't all guessed by now, I'm not gonna update every day, it's just not gonna happen. I'll try my best, but the most you can expect is about one every couple of weeks. I really do want to write more often, but with school and everything else going on in life, it's really hard to fit in even a little bit of writing. It sounds like I'm makin' up excuses, which I sorta am, but this is all the truth. Also, right now, I have absolutely no idea where this story is going. I didn't think it through when I started writing this so I only have the most generic plot line. I could summarise the entire story in about, 11 words. No joke! So this is going to be the last chapter i will write for a while so i can take the time to plan it out better. Sorry! Anyways, on with the story:**

_Previously on CSI Miami_

_But what caught Natalia's attention was the .45 pointed at her head._

Natalia sat frozen, staring up at the gun in fear. This wasn't the first time she'd had a gun pointed at her, but it was the first time she had been totally unprepared. Completely vulnerable and unable to protect herself. Slowly, so as not to startle the gunman, Natalia rose from the floor. Her back screamed in pain, but she ignored it. After all her hears of being a cop, Natalia knew when it was time to fight and when it was time to give in.

"Now hold your wrists out in front of you. And no funny business." Doing what she was told, the CSI noted that the man spoke with a heavy Russian accent.

The man pressed the gun into his younger accomplice's hands and grabbed the rope from the ground beside him. Natalia shivered when his hand touched her wrists.

Once he'd finished securing her wrists, the old Russian crouched down and tied the other end of the rope around her ankles. Then, standing up, he took the gun out of the younger man's hands before nodding to him. "Vlad, bring her upstairs," he said before leaving the room.

Without warning, Vlad swooped down and reached around her waist. His captive squeaked in surprise as he hoisted her over his shoulder and started walking. Recovering from her surprise, Natalia fought hard, but it was like kicking a rock wall. She eventually gave up, knowing she would need her strength for whatever was to come.

Just as quickly as he picked her up, he dropped her on the floor and left the room. Pain exploded in her elbow and she fought to keep down the bile that threatened to overflow. Blackness tinted the edges of her vision and she fought to stay awake. The drug, still coursing through her veins, finally took over and she gave into the blackness.

(like my new paragraph symbol?)

"Dr. Woods! Dr. Woods!"

Alexx turned her head towards the husky voice. She paused for a moment, as she waited for the small dark-haired nurse to catch up, before continuing on towards the cafeteria. Alexx smiled at the assistant but it didn't reach her eyes. The ER doctor wasn't her usual lively self, for she was more tired than she'd been in a while. The upbeat doctor had gotten up earlier than normal and had worked all day, only to be called on at the very end of her shift to help Calleigh. Then, sitting at the CSIs bedside, she had finally dozed off when next day's shift began.

"Yes, Mr. Sable?" she asked, slowly working her way through the crowded cafeteria towards the espresso machine. "What is it?"

"Dr. Woods, we have a problem!"

Reaching the espresso machine, Alexx grabbed a cup and began to fill it with the steaming hot liquid. The rich smell smoothed her muscles, tense from lack of sleep. "Can't this wait until after I'm done my lunch break? A girl's gotta eat, you know!"

"I'm sorry Dr. Woods, but this is an emergency!" from the look on the young man's face, Alexx knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"What is it Mr. Sable? This had better be worth it!" Taking her finger off the dispenser button, Dr. Woods brought the cup up to her lips and took a sip.

"Dr. Woods, two ambulances are coming in, both from the same location," Mr. Sable took a deep breath and blurted out what he had to say. :Both people are from the Miami Dade Crime Lab!"

Alexx dropped her coffee.

**Sorry it was such a short chapter, but I seem to write best that way. I guess I just need to show a small snippet from where everyone is at that point of time. It's not quite the same when i create suspense and then resolve it in the same chapter. It just doesn't have the same effect. Anyways, I hope you like the story so far and I am going to apologise now for the long wait ahead. Pls review! :P**


End file.
